Introduction
Even though careers related to the performing arts are highly rewarding, they can be extraordinarily consuming as well. Maintaining focus during long hours of practice and rehearsal, dealing with performance anxiety, and sustaining morale and motivation after unsuccessful performances—these are all obstacles that occur in a musician’s daily life. As Lin et al. (2008) note, “Most musicians, both amateur and professional, experience some degree of music performance anxiety during their musical careers.” As with many other fears and anxieties, music performance anxiety affects behavior; however, these effects are usually negative, often disrupting specific movements that a musician has trained for over time, thereby diminishing the quality of a performance (Kišūnas, 2019). To add to these challenges, practicing also requires substantial mental effort, making it evident that musicians are under a lot of mental pressure. Like many other musicians, I have tried numerous ways to cope with these problems, both individually and collectively. After hearing about meditation repeatedly from several trusted sources, I decided to give it a try. I found plenty of information on the benefits of meditation outside of professional contexts; however, I have encountered little research exploring the connection between brass playing and meditation practice routines. Furthermore, some of the research I have found led me to believe that meditation could be interfering with the technical aspects of playing. This gap in research and desire to explore both mental and technical effects of meditation on one's playing led me to my question: how can meditation help brass players manage mental challenges while maintaining technical proficiency in their playing?
This exposition is divided into three chapters. The first chapter is a literature review, which is divided into the following subchapters: 1) An introduction to meditation in general; 2) Documented uses of meditation in musical contexts; 3) Documented uses of meditation among brass players. Chapter 2 is dedicated to an experiment on the effects of meditation among musicians who practiced meditation as a part of their basics routine. In the final chapter I analyzed and reflected on my documented experiences.
This research was conducted using various methods. First, I collected and analyzed data from existing research; in other words, I conducted a literature review. This approach helped me partially answer some of my research questions and provided a foundation to compare with the data I gathered myself. However, I was unable to find many studies focusing on meditation and brass playing in the way I wanted to explore. As a brass player myself, I documented changes in my playing and their potential correlation with meditation. Additionally, I conducted an experiment involving 16 participants which included players of the following instruments: trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba.
Having completed the literature review, the analysis of my documented experiences, and the experiment, I have formulated a conclusion in response to the question, “How can meditation help brass players manage mental challenges while maintaining technical proficiency in their playing?”
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